I am a fresh Chicken (26 Years old, what im saying is I dont have dependants ) sold my 2009 FJCW Hatch 2 years ago as was having issues with the engine, had to replace the engine out of warranty which hurt. To be quite honest have been hesitating to consider driving another mini due to this issue.

As you know once a mini driver you actually never want to drive anything else, I have had a Alfa Giulietta 1750 QV for the 2 years since and been missing the mini everyday, still dream about her...

Ok so now to the question I wanted to ask:
I have an opportunity to buy a 2012-2103 Coupe JCW and was wondering if the engine issues(decoking, Oil build up) have been rectified, as rumour has it the engines received a make over sometime early 2013? Also if I will have any issues with the model itself. Im not to worried about lack of space as its only really my girlfriend, my golf clubs and me who will ever be in the car. I am just nervous to go ahead and have the same issues as before.

Your help will be greatly appreciated. I really want to be back in a Mini, everyone I know is saying no but lets be honest, if you havent driven the JCW you will never really know

Funny how with time you start to almost forget previous issues and fancy giving it another go... I am in a similar position and am considering a fJCW for the mrs (as well as a few other options) but my previous experiences with the R56 have me hesitating too... did fancy going for the F56 but sadly the budget is beyond me...

I did start a thread a while ago to try to determine the same as you - ie list the common faults and try to ascertain what the fixes are but it never really took off... so I presume a proper fix was never actually established - I assume building in a walnut shell style decoke as part of your maintenance regime may be a good start

Or to put it another way - I dont know but I too would be interested to hear what the fixes are

I had 2 N18 engines MINIs and R56 S and an R56 JCW. Cracking engine and as far as I'm aware there are no known coking issues with the N18 engine. However, it's a simple fix by having the inlet manifold walnut blasted for about £250 at your local dealer. This will remove anything that's there. Also give it a good Italian tune up every month or so to clean the crap out of it.

Iirc they changed the way the PCV was routed in the N18 engine so the oil vapour wasn't recirculating through the inlet valves which is what causes the issue. It's not just a mini thing either, it affects all direct injection engines whether it be a skoda or an Audi.

If you buy an N18 engined car and it drives ok, no loss of power or hesitation. No flat spots or blue smoke out the back, you should be ok. Check the exhaust tips as well. If there is no build up of hard carbon you should be fine. If it's growing like the plague don't bother. You should be able to wipe the exhaust tips clean with a rag.

I had 2 N18 engines MINIs and R56 S and an R56 JCW. Cracking engine and as far as I'm aware there are no known coking issues with the N18 engine. However, it's a simple fix by having the inlet manifold walnut blasted for about £250 at your local dealer. This will remove anything that's there. Also give it a good Italian tune up every month or so to clean the crap out of it.

Iirc they changed the way the PCV was routed in the N18 engine so the oil vapour wasn't recirculating through the inlet valves which is what causes the issue. It's not just a mini thing either, it affects all direct injection engines whether it be a skoda or an Audi.

If you buy an N18 engined car and it drives ok, no loss of power or hesitation. No flat spots or blue smoke out the back, you should be ok. Check the exhaust tips as well. If there is no build up of hard carbon you should be fine. If it's growing like the plague don't bother. You should be able to wipe the exhaust tips clean with a rag.

So less coking with the n18? Promising start... Any hpfp problems? Did they sort the timing chain too?

If they've sorted the n14 common faults so reliability was improved they are worth a shot - I enjoyed my n14 even with stock power so having confidence to tune thanks to improved reliability means an r56 could be a hoot!

The GP2 engine is the fully forged affair from the fJCW, but with tweaked software. Its only, what, 7bhp over an fJCW? The car drives like a 'tuned' car right out of the box. Quite nice. If I had the money I would consider an N18 fJCW for a daily. I think the "problems" associated with them are less of an issue if you know what to look out for and you are prepared to take the precautionary measures to protect against any serious issues in the future.

Should I try again with MINI (Heart says yes, mind says..........maybe)